No blogging today (Thursday) , unless it happens later tonight.
In the meantime, if you care to, check out my del.icio.us bookmarks. Nothing spectactular, just interesting reading – especially Jen Ambrose’s account of the varied immigrants in China, as well as Fr. Rob’s great post on the Requiem Mass he celebrated at the Sacred Music Colloquium. The OSV story on Catholic hospitals in Texas and sterilization is very important.
Just a few notes:

• Leaps are amazing. Leaps in development, that is. A month ago, Joseph struggled so hard with his bicycle. Now he speeds off ahead of us, exploring, imagining. There is this point in the path we travel in which we cross a little stream. It is really nothing – not even a bridge. Just a crossing. He said to me the other day, “Did you see my Double Dragon Dare Move?” – meaning, he explained, how he stays clear of the water on either side, imaging, I suppose, raging rapids which he, using all of his new-found powers, can now avoid. Do we respect our children’s inner lives? Do we even remember that they have one?
• The other leap has been in reading. For reference, my last “new” reader was Katie, who was reading Little House books at the age of 5. Joseph has been slower, and I, finally relaxed about such things, haven’t pushed him. Although at times I have considered telling him the story of Augustine and Ambrose, pointing out how amazed Augustine was that Ambrose actually read silently.  But I didn’t. So he has sort of struggled along until a couple of weeks ago, we were at a bookstore, and he decided he wanted a book. We ended up at the Magic Tree House books – there were titles with knights and ninjas and Greek gods, so he was intrigued. He picked a couple. He read the whole thing in the afternoon. Silently. ….And we’re off. At last.
• As for me, I’m reading Exiles by Ron Hansen – come join the book club in a couple of weeks! I’m also reading, for some reason, Panther Soup , a travel/second-hand WWII memoir by John Gimlette. It is interesting, and the writing is intriguing. More later. Also on the shelf Bombay Anna and Netherland, the latter because of James Wood’s review. But those two have to wait until the Exiles have returned.
• My son won an Emmy. A regional Emmy, but an Emmy! Go him!
• If any of my readers a) live or have recently lived in Vietnam or b)have or do teach English as a Foreign Language overseas – drop me a line, ‘kay?
• Onward. Southward.

 
Oh, and the full text of the Pope’s GA catechesis from Wednesday is here:

In conclusion, from this brief review of the cultural environment of the first century of the Christian era, it is clear that it is not possible to understand St. Paul adequately without considering the background, both Jewish as well as pagan, of his time. Thus his figure acquires a historical and ideal depth, revealing shared and original elements of the environment. However, this is also equally true for Christianity in general, of which the Apostle Paul is a paradigm of the first order, from whom all of us today have much to learn. This is the objective of the Pauline Year: to learn the faith from him, to learn from him who Christ is, to learn, in the end, the path for an upright life.